Faculty Profiles

Dr. Elizabeth Kjellstrand (“Chell-strand”) Hartwig, PhD, LMFT-S, LPC-S, RPT-S™, holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of North Texas, a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary’s University, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from St. Mary’s University. She joined Texas State as an Assistant Professor in the Professional Counseling program in 2012. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018 and Professor in 2024. Prior to coming to Texas State University, she worked at Communities In Schools of San Antonio (CIS-SA), a school-based dropout prevention program, for 13 years. At CIS-SA she secured a $1.9 million 21^st Century Community Learning Center Grant through the Texas Education Agency.

Dr. Hartwig currently serves as Interim Dean of the College of Education. She previously served as Department Chair of the Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology (CLAS) Department from 2024 to 2026. In the Professional Counseling Program she taught play therapy, animal-assisted counseling, and clinical courses. She specializes in strength-based approaches for working with children and families. Dr. Hartwig is the sole author of the book Solution-Focused Play Therapy: A Strengths-Based Clinical Approach to Play Therapy (2021), co-author of the book Canine-Assisted Interventions: A Comprehensive Guide to Credentialing Therapy Dog Teams (2020), and editor of the book Animal-Assisted School Counseling (2024). She is also the founder and director of the Texas State University Animal-Assisted Counseling (AAC) Academy, a professional training program that promotes the human-animal bond through the study and practice of AAC. She currently serves on the Association for Play Therapy Board of Directors and is a Past President of the Texas Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Hartwig is a recipient of the Nancy Guillory Award for Outstanding Service in Play Therapy by the Texas Association for Play Therapy and has received several Presidential Distinction and College Achievement awards from the College of Education.